Meet Pepper!

Meet Pepper!

My name is Pepper. I am sixteen, and I am a farm specialist here at MAP this summer. I work with
three other Farm Specialists and the Farm Interns to do jobs on the farm like weeding, transplanting, or harvesting crops, as well as other general farm maintenance.

When new youth come to work in the farm, it is important to be a mentor for them, especially because many have never worked at a farm or garden before. The other specialists and I encourage the new youth to get their hands dirty and show them the correct way to water, harvest, and weed. I think my role as a far specialist is very important because I get to introduce teens working at MAP to an environment that might be new to them. The farm at MAP is a great real life example of a type of farm tey learn about in other MAP work areas.

Being a farm specialist has changed a lot of the way I think about food and where it comes from. I feel much more knowledgeable about the production of food crops in general than I did before I had this specialty. It has made me think a lot about where my food comes from and how it was treated. Working on the farm has also made me more interested in growing my own produce as well.

Working on the farm can often be physically demanding, which is occasionally a challenge. When I first began working on the farm, I had a lot of sore muscles. However, while the work is a lot of physical labor, it is often calming and relaxing mentally.

Overall, working as a farm specialist has positively influenced me and has been a great experience.